Alpha Ryland

Chapter 29

"Father!" I yell as I run into my Dad's arms. He greedily takes me in his embrace and lets out a breath of air. It's almost as if he had been holding that in for months, when I know it has only been seconds.

"My beautiful daughter! I've looked everywhere for you!" He says with an exasperated, strained voice.

"Well not everywhere." I say quietly. Everyone here says they looked everywhere, but I highly doubt it since I was never found. What if I was actually kidnapped? I'd have to fend for myself.

"I see you have brought back some sass with you." He eyes me while letting go of me.

"I had it before, you were just working too much to notice it." I roll my eyes. I don't blame them for not being around a lot because I know they are busy, but I do have some irritation.

"A lot of sass." He smirks at me and crosses his arms. His eyes travel to Ryland who is awkwardly standing behind me and I turn to be seen by both men. "Have I met you before?" My father questions Ryland as I smile at my father.

"Dad, this is Ryland. He is someone very important to me, so be nice," I half threated him. He turns to me with a confused look on his face and I smile at him, "I would like for you to meet my mate!" My father smiles but it is quickly replaced with a frown. He looks at Ryland as if inspecting him and Ryland smiles back, a bit bashful. I jog up to Ryland and grab his arm, my head on his shoulder. My father looks worried but I look to the side of him when my mother comes running up to us.

"My sweet Maura!" My mother yells in pure joy and runs up to me, stopping a foot away to look at the man I'm attached to, "who is this?"

I hug Ryland closer to me as I speak with a bright smile on my face. I have never been happier to announce him as my mate, especially after all of the stuff I have been through to get him. "He is my mate. My real mate!" I jump with excitement, "Isn't this fantastic!?"

They look at each other and then back at me, "honey," my father starts, "how did this happen? You were unmated."

I let my smile falter a little, "well it's a long story that I was hoping you could help us solve." I tell them everything, including how he was the one who stole the serum in the first place, and they end up looking worried at the end.

"Maura, dear," my mother says with a slight frown, "He is not your real mate if it is artificial."

I nod, "I know, but no matter what the circumstances, I love him. Even if the bond is artificial, it's the closest we are going to get."

My father looks at my mother and they seem to be communicating to each other. My father sighs and looks back at me, "Can we talk? Alone?"

I look up to Ryland and he lets me go, knowing that I have to talk to my father in privacy. I nod and walk away with my father as my mother walks up to Ryland with a small smile, making conversation. When we are out of earshot in another room, my father turns to me with a frown, "I hate to be the bad guy," he mumbles, "Maura, you cannot be with a man who is not a part of our culture. Plus, we need you to be the heiress of the company we spent our entire lives building up. If you go with him to be a rogue, you will not be able to perform your duty as our daughter."

I wince at his argument, "Then let me fail as your daughter. If giving up the company is what it takes to be with him, then so be it."

"Maura, you know this is not as easy as it sounds. The Alpha will have our heads if he finds this out." He argues.

"He already knows," I roll my eyes at the recent memory and tell him about it. I skipped over it for my mother not to faint, but I can tell my dad. "He is an awful Alpha, you know. He tortures his Luna. She's still alive."